Steam-cooker.



W. C. FERRIS.

STEAM COOKER. APPLICATION min mm1. ma.

zal 202 NLYML" A'TTORNEYS p devices are set.

WALTON C. FERRIS, 0F LINCOLN, NEBRAS FACTURING COMPANY,

STEAM-COOKER.

To allzu/1.0m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WALToN C. Fannie, avcitizen of the United States, resident of Llncoln, in the' county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam- Cookers, fication.

This invention has particular reference to that class of cooking utensils or kettles having a cover, and means for holding the cover to close down tight against the steam pressure within the kettle.

y present application is more particularly directed to the specific construction of an improved means for clamping the cover onto the kettle or pot rim, when arran ed as disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 192,000 for steam cookers, filed September 18, 1917, of which this application is a division.

My present improved Vpot cover clamping means includes upper and lower opposing clamping members, one 0f which clamps over the rim edge of the cover and the other or lower one of which clamps against the under side of the kettle or pot rim, an improved construction of tension devices being also provided for yieldingly connecting the opposing clamping members, which, under normal conditions, tend to hold the said opposing clamping members in such tight engagement with the cover and the kettle rim as to thereby secure the cover against lpredetermined steam pressures which members separate to allow for escape of steam from the kettle when the pressure therein exceeds that lfor which the tension In its more subordinate nature, my present lnventlon embodies certain details of constructlon and novel'comblnatlon of parts,

all of which will be hereinafter explained,`

specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is anelevation of my improved steam-cooker, parts being in side view and other parts being in vertical section, the cover member being" shown at the closed or steam-tight position. r

Fig.\2 is a detail vertical section of the form of my invention shown in Fig. 1, the cover being shown as operating as an Specification ot Letters Patenti Original application led September 18, 1917, Serial No. 192,000. Divided and this 1l, 1918. Serial No. 227,882.

of which the following is a speci-l KA., ASSIGNOR T0 THE NATIONAL MANU- OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

Patented Aug. 5, 1919. application llled April emergency valve to allow for the escape of excessive steam pressure within the pot or kettle.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

In carrying out my present invention, the upper edge of the kettle or body 2 terminates in an annular clamping rim 5 which, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, includes an external undercut upwardly and outwardly inclined bearing surface 51, the purpose of which will presently appear.

3 designates the sheet metal cover and in the construction shown, the said cover includes an inverted U-shaped annular rim 61, that fits over and embraces a pliable gasket 60 held on the top of the kettle rim 5 when the parts are assembled for use.

13 designates a lifter handle attached to the cover 3.

The means for holding the cover closed over the kettle top includes a ring-like body composed of two members 49-49 hinged together as at 20 to swing horizontally to the open or closed positions.

The members 49-49 each consist of separate upper and lower members 19u-49, see Figs. 1 and 2, by reference to which it lwill be noticed the upper member 49 is in the nature of a flat semi-circular ring, the inner flange a' of which, when the two sections of the clamping device are closed fits over and onto the annular rim 61 of the cover 3, as shown.

The lower member 49b includes an inwardly extended flange provided with a beveled bearingsurface 49 that engages with the undercut beveled bearing surface 51 of the annular kettle rim 5and the said lower member 49b includes a semi-circular rim or flange 49d that is normally held in yieldable engagement with the underside of the upper ring member 49, by a scrles of coiled springs 201 supported on the heads Y 202 of screw studs 200 that pass through 4tight closure of the kettle, but should the now free to rise from the kettle rim 5 under the steam pressure within the pot and acting, as it were, as an emergency safety valve.

The two members 49-49 of the compression device are adjusted to a proper operative position around the kettle rim 5 and the cover rim 61 by a screw connection 18, best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, by reference to which it will be seen that when the two members 49-49 are adjusted to the proper operative position around the kettle rim 5, the said members can be drawn together against the said rim 5. and the rim 6 by tightening up a winged member 14 which has an internally threaded socket for screwing onto the free end of the screw bolt 18.

By referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noticed the screw bolt 18 is pivotally .connected to a lug 15 that projects radially from one of the members 49 and the said bolt is adapted for being swung within aforked lug 16 that extends from the adjacent end of the' other member 49.

When the winged member 14 and the bolt 18 are positioned, as indicated 0n the said Fig. 3, the threaded socket of the membery 14 engages the lug 16, and as the said member 14 is screwed onto the bolt 18, the beveled flanges 19e- 49 of the lower members-49" of the ring-like body are caused to engage the beveled surface`51 of the kettle rim and V at the same time and the upper flat member 49a is caused to engage with the. cover rim 61 which rests upon the gasket 60.

As the members 49-49 are drawn together by tightening the winged member 14, as stated, the beveled portions 49--49c engage the beveled surface 51 of the kettle rim 5 and eHect the compression of the upper members L15)-49a (that extend over the cover rim 61) downwardly against the rim '61,' compresses the gasket 60 and thereby makes a steam tight closure of the cover on the kettle.

'To release the cover, it is only necessary to loosen the winged member 14 and to vpart ring-shaped clamp,

swing it out of engagement with the forked lug 16 to permit of opening. the two part means for clamping the parts together, the y saild means comprising a two-part ringshaped clamp adapted to extend around the outer edge of the annular pot rim and the cover rim, each part of the said clamping ring comprising an upper member for clamping down onto the cover rim, a lower member'for clam-ping up against the aforesaid annular pot rim and tension devices for normally forcing the said upper and lower parts of the clamping ring together tohold the opposing bearing portions of the ringshaped clamp in tight engagement with the cover rim and the annular rim of the pot and adapted when the steam pressure in the cooker exceeds the stress -of the tension devices to yield and permit the excess steam pressure within the cooker to escape.

2. In a steam cooker, a pot having an annular rim with an outer undercut beveled bearing surface, a cover havinga rim for resting on the ypot rim, means for holding the said cover clamped down on the said pot rim, the said means consisting of a twoeach part being composed of opposing upper and lower members, the lower members having flanged bearingsurfaces Jfor engaging the external beveled bearing surface of the pot rim, the upper member being fiat and adapted for resting on the cover rim, tension devices that connect the upper and lower clam-ping members and hold the pot and cover lrims in clamped position, the said tension devices being adapted to yield when steam pressure in the pot is greater than the tension of the said devices to thereby permit the coverto rise from the potgrim.

WALTON C. FERRIS. 

